Scanning photocurrent microscopy and its application to one- and two-dimensional materials

Abstract: The electrical response of a material when illuminated with light is a key to many optoelectronic device applications. This so-called photoresponse typically has a non-uniform spatial distribution through the active device area, and the ability to spatially resolve the photoresponse enables an in-depth understanding of the underlying physical mechanisms. Scanning photocurrent microscopy (SPCM) is a method that allows the spatial mapping of the photoresponse by raster scanning a focused laser beam over the sample. SPCM is becoming more popular due to its simplicity and power in unraveling fundamental optoelectronic processes. In this review, first, we provide the fundamentals of SPCM to lay the basics for the subsequent discussions. Then, we focus on the literature that employs SPCM to identify the photoresponse of one- and two-dimensional materials. We discuss SPCM measurement results of common materials in detail and introduce a systematic approach to interpreting the SPCM measurements. We have given particular emphasis on the photothermal mechanisms that are excited by the focused laser beam and critically reviewed studies in the literature from the perspective of laser-induced heating of the electronic and the lattice degrees of freedom. Finally, we discuss the shortcomings of SPCM in determining the mechanisms leading to the photoresponse.